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‘Al-Aqsa Flood’ Damages Türkiye's Ties with Hamas

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh meet in Ankara. (Turkish presidency file photo)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh meet in Ankara. (Turkish presidency file photo)
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‘Al-Aqsa Flood’ Damages Türkiye's Ties with Hamas

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh meet in Ankara. (Turkish presidency file photo)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh meet in Ankara. (Turkish presidency file photo)

Hamas’ Al-Aqsa Flood operation appears to have damaged the Palestinian movement’s ties with Türkiye.

Reports had emerged that Türkiye had called on Hamas to leave the country in wake of the movement’s October 7 operation against Israel.

In a tweet on Monday, the Turkish presidency’s bulletin to combat disinformation denied the reports. It also attached a report by Al Monitor that spoke of Türkiye's “polite” request to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and other members of the movement to leave the country.

Haniyeh has split his voluntary exile from the Palestinian territories in Qatar and Türkiye. He was in Türkiye when the October 7 operation took place.

Reports said that representatives of Turkish intelligence soon met with Hamas officials to inform them that Turkish authorities would no longer be able to ensure their security in wake of Israeli threats. Soon after, Hamas officials decided to voluntarily leave Türkiye.

Turkish reporter Murat Yetkin noted that the presidency’s denial was only posted in Arabic, not Turkish, meaning Ankara wanted to deliver a message to the Arab street, while also concealing the issue from the Turkish public.

He added that Hamas seems to have erred when it believed that attacking Israeli civilians would not damage relations with Ankara, which has condemned the killing of civilians on both sides of the conflict.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had expressed his rejection of the killing of any civilians, calling on Israel and Hamas to show restraint.

“We oppose indiscriminate acts against Israeli civilians and the two parties must respect the rules of war,” he urged.

Türkiye’s position angered Hamas and other Palestinian groups, noting that Erdogan’s latest position stands in contrast to his previous ones that were aligned with their cause. They noted that his recent calm stance does not serve the Palestinian cause.

Israel, meanwhile, has opposed Türkiye playing a mediator role to end the crisis with Hamas. Israel’s ambassador to Ankara said Türkiye cannot act as a mediator because it sometimes hosts prominent Hamas member Saleh al-Arouri, who “should be tried for crimes against humanity.”

Turkish sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Ankara “could not justify the killing of civilians by Hamas, while also condemning Israel’s barbaric killing of civilians.” They added that Ankara was angered by the death of Israeli civilians in Hamas’ attack.

Yetkin said, however, that Ankara has not severed its relations with Hamas. Erdogan held a telephone call with Haniyeh on Saturday to discuss the release of hostages, a ceasefire and delivery of aid to civilians. He then held talks with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg to discuss Gaza.

Yetkin added that the United States and European Union probably expect Türkiye, Egypt and Qatar to play a role in the release of hostages held by Hamas, while still also opposing contacts with the movement.

The Palestinian movement’s attack had put Türkiye in a difficult position in balancing its foreign relations.

The Al Monitor report, by Turkish journalist Fehim Tastekin, said Türkiye “has been trying to carefully calibrate its stance in the face of the war (...), maintaining its advocacy of the Palestinian cause while cooling ties with Hamas and seeking to avoid a fresh fallout with Israel.”

It noted that “the crisis hit at a time when Erdogan is pursuing normalization with regional powers, including Israel.”

“At first glance, one could suggest that the Erdogan government’s close relations with Hamas have now driven it into a corner. Moreover, one could expect growing US pressure on Ankara to sever ties with Hamas after the dust settles,” it added.

Türkiye has been seeking to normalize relations with Israel after years of tensions. Erdogan met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on September 20 for the first time in years.

Moreover, Hamas’ attack derailed a visit to Israel by Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, who was expected to discuss a pipeline deal that would have carried natural gas from Israel to Europe through Türkiye.

Hamas’ attack has even led to criticism from Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP). For the first time, journalists in pro-AKP media have described Hamas’ attack as “terrorist” and a “war crime”, saying its practices were no different than the repeated Israeli violations against the Palestinians.

However, the Israeli escalation in Gaza and disproportionate response, attacks on hospitals, schools and places of worship, as well as Washington’s green light for Israel to continue its operation, have sparked condemnation in Türkiye.

Anger against Israel has been expressed by the Turkish street, prompting Israel to pull out its diplomats from Türkiye for security reasons. The AKP is also planning to hold a rally in Istanbul on Saturday in solidarity with Gaza.

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Protest Letters from Former Israeli Soldiers Lay Bare Profound Rifts over Gaza War

A woman chants slogans as relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages, held captive in the Gaza Strip since the October 2023 attacks, hold placards and chant slogans during an anti-government demonstration calling for action to secure their release, outside the Israeli prime minister's residence in Jerusalem on April 17, 2025. (AFP)
A woman chants slogans as relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages, held captive in the Gaza Strip since the October 2023 attacks, hold placards and chant slogans during an anti-government demonstration calling for action to secure their release, outside the Israeli prime minister's residence in Jerusalem on April 17, 2025. (AFP)
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Protest Letters from Former Israeli Soldiers Lay Bare Profound Rifts over Gaza War

A woman chants slogans as relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages, held captive in the Gaza Strip since the October 2023 attacks, hold placards and chant slogans during an anti-government demonstration calling for action to secure their release, outside the Israeli prime minister's residence in Jerusalem on April 17, 2025. (AFP)
A woman chants slogans as relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages, held captive in the Gaza Strip since the October 2023 attacks, hold placards and chant slogans during an anti-government demonstration calling for action to secure their release, outside the Israeli prime minister's residence in Jerusalem on April 17, 2025. (AFP)

When nearly 1,000 Israeli Air Force veterans signed an open letter last week calling for an end to the war in Gaza, the military responded immediately, saying it would dismiss any active reservist who signed the document.

But in the days since, thousands of retired and reservist soldiers across the military have signed similar letters of support.

The growing campaign, which accuses the government of perpetuating the war for political reasons and failing to bring home the remaining hostages, has laid bare the deep division and disillusionment over Israel’s fighting in Gaza.

By spilling over into the military, it has threatened national unity and raised questions about the army’s ability to continue fighting at full force. It also resembles the bitter divisions that erupted in early 2023 over the government’s attempts to overhaul Israel’s legal system, which many say weakened the country and encouraged Hamas’ attack later that year that triggered the war.

“It’s crystal clear that the renewal of the war is for political reasons and not for security reasons,” Guy Poran, a retired pilot who was one of the initiators of the air force letter, told The Associated Press.

A return to war

The catalyst for the letters was Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision on March 18 to return to war instead of sticking to a ceasefire that had facilitated the release of some hostages.

Netanyahu says the military pressure is needed to force Hamas to release the remaining hostages. Critics, including many families of the hostages, fear that it will get them killed.

One month after Netanyahu resumed the war, none of the 59 hostages held by Hamas have been freed or rescued, of whom 24 are believed to still be alive.

In their letters, the protesters have stopped short of refusing to serve. And the vast majority of the 10,000 soldiers who have signed are retired in any case.

Nonetheless, Poran said their decision to identify themselves as ex-pilots was deliberate — given the respect among Israel’s Jewish majority for the military, and especially for fighter pilots and other prestigious units. Tens of thousands of academics, doctors, former ambassadors, students and high-tech workers have signed similar letters of solidarity in recent days, also demanding an end to the war.

“We are aware of the relative importance and the weight of the brand of Israeli Air Force pilots and felt that it is exactly the kind of case where we should use this title in order to influence society,” said Poran.

Elusive war goals

The war erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas carried out a surprise cross-border attack, killing about 1,200 people in southern Israel and taking 251 others hostage.

Throughout the war, Netanyahu has set two major goals: destroying Hamas and bringing home the hostages.

Israel’s offensive has reduced much of Gaza to rubble and killed more than 51,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials, who don't differentiate between civilians and combatants.

While Israel has come under heavy international criticism over the devastation in Gaza, the domestic opposition to the conflict reflects a widespread belief that Netanyahu’s war goals are not realistic.

Nearly 70% of Israelis now say bringing home the hostages is the most important goal of the war, up from just over 50% in January 2024, according to a study conducted by the Jerusalem think tank Israel Democracy Institute. Nearly 60% of respondents said Netanyahu’s two goals cannot be realized together.

The survey interviewed nearly 750 people and had a margin of error of 3.6 percentage points.

Netanyahu’s opponents have also accused him of resuming the war to pander to his hardline coalition partners, who have threatened to topple the government if he ends the fighting.

Steering clear of politics

Many people were surprised by the military’s snap decision to dismiss air force reservists who signed the protest letter.

The army, which is mandatory for most Jewish men, has long served as a melting pot and unifying force among Israel’s Jewish majority. Many key units rely heavily on reservists, who often serve well into their 40s.

In a statement, the military said it should be “above all political disputes.”

As the protest movement has grown, a military official said the army is taking the letters “very seriously.”

He said it joins a list of challenges to calling up reservists and that the army is working to support them. A growing number of reservists have stopped reporting for duty, citing exhaustion, family reasons, and the financial burden of missing work.

“Any civilian can have his opinions. The problems come when people use the army as a tool promoting their opinions, whatever they may be,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity under military guidelines.

The army’s dilemma

Eran Duvdevani, who organized a letter signed by 2,500 former paratroopers, told the AP that the army faces a dilemma.

“If it will keep on releasing from service the pilots, what about all the others who signed the letters? Will they be discharged from service as well?” he said.

He said he organized the letter to show “the pilots are not alone.” Their concern over the war’s direction “is a widespread opinion, and you have to take it into consideration.”

Although only a few hundred of the signatories are still actively serving, the Israeli military has been stretched by 18 months of fighting and isn’t in any position to be turning away anyone from reserve duty. Many Israelis are also furious that as reservists repeatedly get called up for action, the government continues to grant military exemptions to Netanyahu’s ultra-Orthodox governing partners.

The number of Israelis continuing to report for reserve duty has dropped so low that the military has taken to social media to try to recruit people to keep serving.

Protest letters illuminate widespread divisions

Eran Halperin, an expert in social psychology at Jerusalem’s Hebrew University, called the letters “the most important indication of the erosion of the ethos in this particular war.”

Though the war enjoyed widespread support at the outset, doubts have grown as so many hostages continue to languish in captivity and the Israeli death toll mounts. Nearly 850 soldiers have been killed since the war started.

“It’s very, very difficult to maintain and manage a war in such violent conflict when there are such deep disagreements about the main questions pertaining to the war,” Halperin said.

In recent days, Netanyahu’s office has published a flurry of messages touting meetings with families of the hostages, stressing he is doing everything he can to hasten their return.

On Tuesday, he and his defense minister toured northern Gaza, where Netanyahu praised the “amazing reservists” doing “marvelous work.”

Netanyahu’s office released videos of him marching through the sandy dunes surrounded by dozens of soldiers.

“We are fighting for our existence,” he said. “We are fighting for our future.”